Running Down to the Riptide
by castrophany-and-autonomy
Summary: Chicago is a big city... But is it big enough for a haunted pizzeria, 2D, Noodle, and Russel? (T- For violence, swearing in multiple languages, and general horror.)
1. Left-Hand Man

Chapter 1

Once Gorillaz had gotten evicted from 212 Wobble Street, the band had effectively split into two halves.

2D and Murdoc had stayed in London, much to to Noodle's dismay. After all, Murdoc had imprisoned him on a plastic hell (and Noodle didn't use that term lightly), was more time with Murdoc really what he really wanted?

Russel moved to Chicago (it was Russel's favourite place while Gorillaz were on tour) and opened up a music club, and Noodle followed and changed her last name to Hobbs. ("After all," she had remarked, "you've been my father since I jumped out of that Fed-Ex box, so why not make it official?)

Noodle was currently going to university at a local college called Loyola University (where she currently sat at an anthropology class) where she seemed to attract to endless suitors, both male and female.

After all, being a veritable rock goddess with Graham Coxon style black glasses (that she had acquired not too long after starting university) green eyes, long blue-black hair and an odd but charming hybrid of an English and Japanese accent was quite attractive to most.

The young woman had only dated a handful of those interested in her (and found that her tastes weren't limited to men) but for the most part, she used her studies as a shield for potential romance.

However, Noodle's main reason for denying her classmates' advances was, of course, the blue haired former vocalist of Gorillaz, Stuart Pot himself.

Everything seemed to remind her of him. A girl with blue hair walked by? She was filled with nostalgia and wanting. She saw a trailer for a new zombie film? 2D all the way.

She knew Russel could tell, because he had noticed that she rarely went on dates and would occasionally watch their old music videos sadly. Also, she had confided in the ex-drummer about her feelings regarding the vocalist when she was younger.

Noodle absent-mindedly took notes on whatever civilisation that her professor was droning on about, but was thinking about her life. Her twenty-fourth birthday was coming up very quickly, and despite the fact that she was by no means old, she still wondered if it was time for her too move on. Not just 2D, but Gorillaz in general.

Granted, Gorillaz was a giant part of her life, and it was sending her to school (unlike Murdoc and too a lesser extent 2D, both she and Russel had saved their funds from Gorillaz allowing them their luxury flat on Lake Michigan, Metra passes, and occasional outings to museums and shops), but was she too old to dream of wildly successful animated pop bands and a handsome blue-haired man coming to rescue her from a life of responsibility?

Noodle sighed sadly. She knew the answer was, as hard as it was to accept, yes, she was far too old for her dreams.

Part of accepting the fact that she was, in fact, an adult, was getting a job, preferably one she could work at and still be able to attended her classes unhindered.

The professor dismissed the class to which Noodle sighed again, picked her books up, and walked out of the cavernous lecture hall, as it was her last class of the day.

As the former Gorillaz guitarist walked across checked her watch, then the Metra app on her smart-phone, only to see that her train would be at the station at 6:30 as opposed to 6:00.

As far as she could guess, she had two options, she could stop at the coffee shop across the street and get a bit of homework done, or she could go to straight to her train station.

Ten minutes later, she found herself in a Starbucks with a cup of jasmine green tea and some sort of seasonal pumpkin pastry sitting in front of her laptop with a confused frown.

Not at the homework she was working on, no, not much challenged her as far as university went, but at the sensation she was experiencing.

It was if she had drank a sip of the finest tea and was feeling the warmth slide down her body in pure serenity, despite the fact she hadn't touched her cup yet. It could be likened to falling asleep in a soft, heavy silk blanket, but she felt it all over her body.

Finally she recognised what this feeling was. It was her Zen bond with-

"Hello, darling," a high pitched Cockney accent piped from behind her chair.

She felt her heart speed up and stop simultaneously. In her military training, she had been taught not to let anything surprise or catch her off guard, but that voice was too much for her not to react to.

Noodle stood up and turned around and gazed at the blue-haired man before her. "St-Stuart."

(She had called him by his real name since she was old enough to understand why he had been given his nickname, save for when she was angry.)

It all made sense now. Whenever they had been reunited after years, she had felt that feeling, for example, after Gorillaz had broken the up the first time, when 2D came back to Kong or on Plastic Beach when they hadn't seen each other since the shooting of the "El Mañana" video. She had been feeling a faint tingle at the bottom of her stomach for the past few days that she had passed off as a sign of the fact that her menstrual cycle was due to start, but she should've realised that it wasn't pain she was feeling but anticipation.

She grabbed him in a strong embrace, being careful not to damage her glasses. Once she had let go she said to him: "Really? 'Hello, darling'? That's all you have to say after two years?"  
>He settled into the chair across from her, and Noodle sat down as well."Sorry, I just didn't know what to say. You look so... different."<br>"Hideous?" she asked with a snort.

"No, no not that. Older. Nice glasses."

"I guess, but I had to get my fringe cut. It looked odd otherwise". Noodle explained, trying not to blush at his compliment.

"Couldn't have looked too bad. I didn't think you'd need glasses." 2D responded.

"It's ironic, I can clearly see at an object from a mile and see perfectly in the dark, but I can't look at small text for too long without getting a headache."  
>"Huh," 2D commented. "I wear glasses sometimes too. Well, it should be all the time, but I lost 'em. A few months ago."<p>

"Just a moment, I think we're missing a major question. What are you doing in Chicago?" Noodle inquired, her eyes bright.

"Uh, one of Murdoc's enemies tried to kill him. That old codger's gettin' sloppy. That sod who tried to off him burned our flat down and I got dis burn," the vocalist answered. He unbuttoned the top button of his plaid red and black shirt to reveal a nasty black and red scar taking up a good portion of his partially revealed chest.

"Putain," Noodle muttered an obscenity in French.

"So pretty much Murdoc closed his eyes and put his finger on a map and landed on Chicago, and here we are." 2D finished. "I'm gonna go get somefink to drink. I'll be back in a minute, love."  
>As he walked away, Noodle quickly filled Russel in on the details in a few text messages. By the time Stuart was back, Noodle had taken a few sips of her fragrant tea, shut off her laptop, and taken a bite of her pastry and decided she didn't want it.<p>

"So, has Murdoc been hitting you?" Noodle asked bluntly.

2D choked on his drink a little bit. "N-not as much," he commented once he could breathe again.

Noodle sighed. "And the painkillers?'  
>"I haven't been as bad. I only take two when I have a migraine and that's it," he informed her proudly.<p>

She smiled. "That's good, I was worried about you."  
>Noodle received a text message from Russel, which turned her display back on. She took note of the time.<p>

"Merde!" Noodle swore in French.

While 2D only spoke English, he knew Noodle well enough to recognise when she was using French swears. "What is it darling?"  
>"My train leaves in fifteen minutes!"<br>"How long does it take you to get to your train?" 2D asked.

Gorillaz' ex-guitarist giggled, a "this-situation-is-ridiculous-laugh". "Fifteen minutes!"  
>"Oh! We should get going!"<p>

Noodle stuffed her laptop in the messenger bag she carried with her on days she had classes. "We?"

"Yeah, so we can trade numbers and such." 2D replied. "You taking the cronut with you?"

"So that's what that is! Nah, I don't like it."

"Yeah, I didn't know they come in pumpkin," 2D remarked, taking a nibble off of the side Noodle didn't bite on. "It's pretty tasty."

The former axe-princess laughed and grabbed her tea as 2D picked up his drink and Noodle's "cronut". "Let's get out of here,"

Miraculously, they ran to her station in ten minutes. Noodle swiped her Ventra card and 2D jumped the turnstile.("I'm not riding the train, love," he had justified after Noodle gave him a disapproving look.)

"What's you number?" he asked once they were on the platform.  
>"You'll forget," Noodle commented and pulled a green pen out of her makeshift bun, causing blue-black tendrils of hair fall down and frame her determined and beautiful face.<p>

She pulled the sleeve of Stuart's shirt back and wrote her cell phone number on his arm, causing the ex-vocalist to giggle.

"Stop moving your arm!" Noodle commanded through a laugh.

"Sorry, love"  
>Finally, Noodle finished writing, just as her train pulled into the station, blowing her now loose hair in 2D's face.<p>

"Talk to you soon," she said to him.

She kissed him on the cheek, leaving a burgundy lip print on his cheek that blended in nicely with his flushed cheeks. It was odd that this Casanova of a man who had done almost everything under the sun was brought to a blush by this simple, sweet action.

Noodle hopped on her train and 2D could see her through the windows picking an empty seat. After thirty seconds or so of them ridiculously pantomiming words, her train started to move.

The beautiful young woman waved to the man who was still on the platform who also waved at her, never feeling so in love in than she ever had in her rather short life.

The walk to her her and Russel's flat was rather long, but Noodle was used to it after two years of commuting back and forth.

The street musician on the corner was playing a ukulele today and was singing a song that Noodle herself recognised and enjoyed called "Riptide". Even though her voice was no where near the quality of 2D's, it was still gorgeous.

As Noodle walked around the corner to her home, the street musician was in the chorus.  
>"Lady, running down to the riptide Taken away to the dark side/ I wanna be your left hand man..."  
>The woman's voice started to fade as Noodle walked in to the foyer of the apartment building. She said "hello" to her doorman who who grinned when he saw her. The two had built up quite a camaraderie over the past two years.<p>

She walked in to the lift and smiled a bit as she did almost everyday whenever she thought of "DARE" and the lift at Kong.

However, unlike most days, Noodle didn't feel sadness upon thinking about her days in Gorillaz because she had a small bit of it back with her.

She reached her floor, and walked down the corridor to her and Russel's flat. She walked in and took a deep breath, smelling the aromas of the cigarettes that Russel and she occasionally smoked and spices that Russel used whenever he cooked his fantastic meals.

Noodle noticed a note laid on the kitchen counter as she walked through the flat calling for Russel.  
>It read:<p>

_Hey, baby-girl, I found out CC is in town and wanted to surprise me (apparently she's on tour) so we're going to be out tonight. I'll see you around noon tomorrow!_

_Signed, Russ_

Noodle grinned, realising that "CC" stood for "Chubby Cherry", Russel's long-distance yet steady girlfriend, the lead singer of another animated band called Studio Killers.

She quickly ordered Chinese food, booted up her laptop, and sat down on the couch. Despite the fact that she wasn't over 2D didn't mean that she had an excuse not to get a job.

She typed in "night jobs chicago" in a job search engine and got three results, one for an alternative radio station that she listened to from time to time (a definite possibility), another for a "gentleman's club" (_absolutely_ not) and one that transfixed her, a position as a night-guard at Freddy Fazbear's Pizzeria. The job didn't sound to interesting, but nonetheless, Noodle felt a Zen bond type of feeling that told her that she should look a little further.

The link on the website took her to a nauseatingly cheery and happy website for a singing animatronic pizza restaurant.  
>There were four animated animals each with a plaque under their feet with their names inscribed on them, a blue rabbit called Bonnie, a yellow chicken-duck looking animal called Chica, an orange-red fox called Foxy, and the namesake of the establishment, Freddy Fazbear himself.<p>

Noodle clicked on the link called "join our family" and filled out an online application in around twenty minutes.

Once she had completed it, she typed the "freddy fazbear's pizzeria" into a general search engine for she was a bit wary of the establishment already. She clicked on a blog called "Freddy Fazbear's Conspiracies". When the site loaded, a message popped up, warning her that the blog had content that might frighten or disturb some sensitive viewers.

Noodle entered the site anyway, against her better judgement. She was greeted by four links- "the animatronic", "the night-guards", "the reports", and "the injuries".

The former guitarist of Gorillaz decided to work her way down, and started at "animatronics". She was greeted by four pictures of each of the large, ghastly machine animals, each of which she recognised from the official website.

Under the pirate fox's picture was a paragraph that talked about "the Bite of '87". Noodle came to understand that while the animatronics were still allowed to roam around during the day, Foxy had bitten a child in the head, which had removed the boy's frontal lobe. The cause of this was that Bonnie, Freddy, and Chica had to stay on their stage all day while Foxy had been banished to Pirate's Cove.

The other animatronics had similar stories, but Noodle didn't have the nerve to read anything else. She shuddered and clicked on "the night-guards".

The page had multiple videos from "former night-guards" that showed the animatronics popping up out of nowhere which hardly made Noodle (the highly trained super-solider who had been from hell and back) flinch, but made her wonder, why her Zen bond with 2D pushed her towards applying for this job, which scared her more than the actual animatronics and videos. Perhaps she would be there to protect him.

A phone call came in from a number that Noodle didn't recognise.

Before she could give a professional "hello", a brisk female voice with an American accent asked: "Noodle Hobbs?"  
>"Um, this is she," she answered.<p>

"This is Cassie from Freddy Fazbear's Pizzeria, you got the job. We e-mailed you a tutorial to-"  
>"I'm sorry, I applied fifteen minutes ago. How did you get back so quickly?" Noodle interrupted.<p>

"We work quickly," Cassie answered curtly. "We e-mailed you a tutorial on how to use the cameras and professional behaviour, please complete it and come in tomorrow at noon to pick up your uniform, receive your schedule and meet your new partner. Bye-bye!"  
>Noodle was greeted with a dial tone. Her theory had been correct, 2D was most likely her partner and she was to protect him.<p>

The doorbell rang, reminding her of the Chinese food she had ordered earlier that night when she had still had an appetite and cared about eating.

She grabbed her wallet and went to pay the delivery woman. She slid her already cold food (the restaurant she had ordered from was across town) into the refrigerator and turned off her computer. She had a lot to prepare for.

_(__**A/N**__: The idea for this story came from when my best friend and I were running the track and we were playing our OTP game in which we give each other prompts and we have to say what our OTP would do in that situation. I asked her what her OTP would do if they were in the situations presented in "_Five Nights at Freddy's"_, and she decided to write a _Red Versus Blue _fic involving her favourite characters Tucker and Washington. She also recommended that I write one too, and here's where this came from. She pushed me not to quit, was encouraging and her fic is amazing! In short, thanks so much Ven!  
>I picked Chicago as the setting because it's my favourite city and I know it the best. <em>

_More chapters are on the way, thanks for reading!)_


	2. Unstuck

_(__**A/N**__: Welcome to Chapter 2, where we'll be introduced to the awesomeness that is: Russel Hobbs._ _Quick notes:_ _first,, I'll be distinguishing time periodically throughout this chapter and all text in italics is intentionally grammatically incorrect as well as misspelled, as they are 2D's text messages to Noodle.  
>So to reiterate, 2D's messages are in<em> italics_ and Noodle's messages are in_ **bold**.)

Waking up was the oddest thing for Noodle, even after two years back on Earth. In Hell, there was no sleep, but somehow there were nightmares every single night; perhaps they were reality.

Nonetheless, every morning was a reward enough for surviving and escaping the mental and physical tortures that she went through.

On the day after she and 2D had bumped into each other at Starbucks, Noodle woke up when she always did on Saturday mornings, 9:00. She always slept on the couch in the front room, despite she had a large bedroom, partly so she could store her bicycle in her bedroom, also so that if a burglar or any other sort of assailant came into the flat, Noodle could intercept the person before hey could do Russel any harm.

Gorillaz' ex-guitarist slicked her hair out of her eyes, grabbed her glasses off of the coffee table, and turned her smart phone that she had received last Christmas. Gorillaz' former guitarist opened up her messages and saw a message from 2D that said "_meet for breakfast luv?_"

Noodle grinned and felt her stomach flip with anticipation. "**Sounds fantastic! Where would you like to meet?**_"_

"**How about that one Starbucks on Sheridan?**"

"_wheres sheridan?_"

"**It's the Starbucks where we hung out in yesterday.**_"_

"_how about i just come over 2 ur place? ur living w/ russ, rite?_

"

**Yes, I am.** **I'll have to talk to you later,**" the young woman sent him after sending him her address.

"gr8_ c u around 10:30_."

"**That's dinner, not breakfast.**"

"_idc, itll just be dinner_"

"**What does that mean?**"

"_i dont care_"

"**I see. I'm leaving for good now.**"

"_bye_"

She turned on a Bon Jovi internet radio station through Russel's speaker's through her tablet and as she walked into the water closet and closed the door, she discovered that "Livin' on a Prayer" could still be heard despite the fact that the door was closed.

Noodle took off her glasses, then began to wash up with her favourite mint body that she only used on special days, and if the text messages she had just shared with the ex-vocalist of Gorillaz were any indication, this was to be a very special day.

23-23-23-23

An hour later, the young woman had a fresh mint smell, a head full of blue-black curls, a black Human League t-shirt and red skinny jeans, as well as a mind full of questions about her new place of work.

She had read and seen some disturbing pictures online regarding injuries and deaths that had taken place at Freddy Fazbear's Pizzeria the night before, the animatronic-filled pizzeria where she had applied for the night previous and had been accepted immediately.

Now as her morning seemed to be going perfectly, she -against her better judgement- dashed all she had read and saw the previous night away as a hoax, but decided on bringing one of her smaller guns just in case.

As she walked into the front room so that she could relax a little but and wait for 2D, she couldn't forget what had pushed her to apply for the job: a feeling coming from her Zen bond with the object of her affections- 2D. There was another job that she was interested in that wouldn't have conflicted with her university schedule, but nonetheless, the feeling pushed her firmly but gently to apply online for the pizzeria.

Once Noodle set her neck in the arm of the couch as not to ruin her fresh curls, the song through the speakers stopped, and the pleasant female voice informed her that the speakers were now being transferred to a different mobile device. Within a few seconds, "Little L" by Jamiroquai came on, which informed Noodle that Russel was in the building, as he always changed her wireless internet radio station when he got home.

Gorillaz' former guitarist walked to the kitchen,then got the carton of eggs from the refrigerator and a frying pan from the cupboard, knowing that whenever Russel got home before noon, he always made scrambled eggs.

Noodle subconsciously swung her hips a bit to the beat of the familiar song as she walked to the front door of the apartment and opened it, knowing Russel would be in for a few moments.

She frowned and walked over to the part of the room where she left her phone, still moving to the rhythm of the music playing through the flat.

"We ain't in "DARE" there's no reason you need to be dancing like that, little girl."  
>Noodle laughed and ran to hug Russel. "You're not Murdoc, so there's no reason for you to have lipstick on your tie," Noodle teased with a smirk after looking at his attire.<p>

Russel boomed a loud, hearty laugh, and returned Noodle's embrace after closing the front door. "Cherry asked about you."  
>"Speaking of which, how did it go?" Noodle asked, after letting go, raising an eyebrow, a smirk returning to her face.<p>

"Pretty well. Goldie wants to hang out with you again, by the way. How's 'D?' Russel asked as he waked to the kitchen and started preparing the eggs.

Noodle threw herself on the couch and grinned, forgetting about preserving her curls. "Delirious, delightful and delicious. As usual."  
>"Still stuck on him, I see."<p>

"Yes sir," the woman replied dreamily, revealing a girlish part of her personality that she rarely let show. "We're going out to breakfast this morning.

"I know you don't want to think about this, but just remember, if he doesn't feel the same way, just let the bastard go," Russel instructed her candidly.

Noodle sighed. This issue with Russel was that he was right ninety-nine percent of time, and his advice was almost always applicable, even if she didn't want to hear it.

"I know, Russel."

He paused his cooking and walked over to the couch and on the floor next to his daughter. "Don't be angry with me, baby-girl. I don't even need to tell you this, I know, but the last thing I want to see is for you to be hurt."  
>"I know, but I've loved the man since I was ten. Can't I just enjoy my delusions of an actual relationship for a moment?" Noodle asked in a melancholic tone.<p>

"No, because when you have to wake up, then it'll hurt even more. Be careful, you're messing up your hair."  
>Noodle took her glasses off. set them on the coffee table, then buried her face into the couch, letting her hair flow out from behind. "Thanks, Russel,"<p>

"Any time, baby." Russel replied with a sigh. Parenting was hard even if your "baby" was an adult. "Would you like eggs?"

"No thank you, I'm eating with Stuart."

"No problem," Russel got up and walked to finish cooking the eggs.

"I got a job," Noodle mentioned, shaking herself out of self piteous state.

"What? When?" the ex-drummer for Gorillaz asked.

Noodle wondered how much of the truth she should tell. "As a night-guard at this upscale restaurant. I interviewed and applied a few weeks ago, and they got back to me last night."  
>"That's good. It won't interfere with your school schedule, will it?"<br>"No, sir. That's why I picked it." Noodle replied respectfully.

"Good. I'm glad you're responsible enough to take care of these things on your own without being told, baby-girl."

"Thanks. Do you think I should wear make-up?" Noodle asked.

"I'd say eyeliner and lipstick, probably red to match your trousers, but that's all. Don't bother with blush or eye shadow or any of that bullshit," Russel advised, happy to help Noodle feel better

"Thanks!

Noodle began to apply her make-up, and as she finished her lipstick and eyeliner (it was Russel that had taken the care to buy her multiple colours and varieties of lipstick and other make-up products) a knock came at the door. She checked her phone, apparently an hour had passed between Russel coming home and the moment she was in now, for it was 10:53. Figures he would be late.

The former Asian axe-princess slid her Graham Coxon style glasses on, careful not to smudge her eyeliner, then ran out of the water closet and into the kitchen.

"Does my make-up look all right?"

Russel sighed as he began to cook another batch of eggs. "Flawless, as usual."  
>The former axe princess sighed. "Russel, I'll be fine."<br>"Heartbreak is fun, baby. I just want you to know."  
>The young woman didn't respond, then opened the door to see her breakfast date, who was trying to lean on the door frame, but ending up literally falling into the flat once Noodle opened the door.<p>

He tried to maintain his dignity by attempting to get up first and help Noodle up, but embarrassed himself more by tripping over a barstool (which was at the bar that separated the kitchen from the front room).

Russel snickered, put down his enormous plate of scrambled eggs, then helped both the vocalist and the guitarist up by holding out his arm.

"Idiots," he remarked affectionately. "How are ya 'D?"  
>"I'm all right. For the record, that whole fing back there was Noodle's fault."<br>Noodle rolled her eyes."Sure. Let's get out of here before you trip on air then knock all three of us down."

2D swatted Noodle on the shoulder. "Aw, shut up. Can we wait a few? I wanna catch up with Russ!"  
>"Let me rephrase that, let's get out of here before Russel embarrasses me."<br>"Just get out of here before she gets pissed, man." Russel advised.  
>"'She' is right here, and 'she' is leaving now, with or without you., Stu," Noodle replied, hiding a smile.<p>

"Okay, okay!" 2D followed her out of the door.

As the pair walked down the hallway, the ex-guitarist decided to test her theory regarding her place of work."We might have to cut our outing a bit short; I have a job related occurrence at twelve o'clock."  
>"Same here."2D commented, not understanding the connection.<p>

"Oh really, where's that?"  
>"I'm a watch-guy at this cool restaurant. I'm meeting my partner at twelve. They said she's a girl, I hope she's hot.."<br>"I'd say she is," the young woman joked, idly wondering how long it would take him to the connection.

"You know her?"  
>Noodle decided not to keep up the charade any longer, then stopped in the middle of the corridor, right in front of 2D and looked up at him. "Stu. I am the girl you're working with."<p>

2D looked down at her for a long moment. "You aren't hot."  
>Noodle punched him in the arm with a casual laugh."You know the shift is from twelve to six, right?" the young woman asked as she resumed walking.<p>

"Yeah. We'll be together for six hours!"  
>"Pretty excited, aren't you?" Noodle asked with a smirk.<p>

"You hitting on me, love?"

"More like calling you out. You were calling me 'hot' earlier."  
>"I said I wanted my partner to be hot. And she's not. She's gorgeous."<br>Noodle's eyes widened and she tripped over her own feet, and inadvertently pulled the dull vocalist down with her.

"Who's clumsy now? Didn't they teach you not to pull down handsome guys at your fancy university?"  
>"Of course they did, but why would that apply to you?" Noodle retorted, trying to ignore the proximity of their faces.<p>

"Shut up!" 2D muttered, but was too transfixed with how close he was to the ex-guitarist.

"Are you two planning on getting up?" Russel called from down the hall.

"Ah!" the pair cried, then stood up and brushed themselves up.

"How long were you watching us?" Noodle shouted back so that she could be heard.

"That's not important! Get the hell out of here!"  
>"Willingly!"<p>

The pair walked down the hall, to the elevator, out to a day of adventure, mischief, and, if Noodle had her way, romance.

**11:30 AM**

"We sort of got interrupted yesterday, tell me a bit about how Murdoc's been treating you." Noodle requested once she and 2D had sat at a table at Beggar's Pizza

"He mostly ignores me, but last night he..."  
>"He what? Tell me? I swear, if he laid a finger on you, I will-"<br>"He did, but not the way he think. Murdoc... kissed me." 2D confessed after a pause.

Noodle stopped herself from choking on the ice water that they received. "I'm happy for you two."  
>2D wasn't a trained super solider and actually <em>did<em> choke on his water."What? No! Never! I'm not into... Murdocs! I'm into girls! PreferablyJapaneseandwearingoddlyattractiveglasses." he added quickly into his glass.

Air returned to the room, or at least to Noodle' lungs. "Oh, I see. What was that last thing you said?"  
>"Nothing, love, just, uh, choking."<br>"Oh. So what did you do next?"  
>"I kinda pushed him off me, then I took out a room a few streets down."<br>"I'm so sorry, Stu.

"It's fine. But I meant what I said earlier about you being gorgeous."  
>"T-thanks. I didn't mean it when I said you weren't handsome."<p>

**11:55 AM**

"Why do we constantly end up running to be on time for things?" 2D cried as they ran through the streets to the down-town location of Freddy Fazbear's Pizzeria.

"Because your smile is really distracting when I'm looking at it from across a table!" Noodle replied as she pulled 2D down the street to jaywalk to their workplace.

**12:02 PM **

The pair ran into the pizza shop, out of breath, a few moments late then gazed upon the three monstrosities on the stage- Bonnie, Chica, and Freddy.  
>An older woman in a red and black uniform waved them over from a booth."Hi, I'm the day manager."<p>

"I'm Stuart, but people know me better as 2D."

"I see," the day manager said."Which makes you Noodle, right?"

"Yes." the woman answered

"I take it you two know each other?"  
>"Why would you say that?" 2D asked.<p>

"Well, for one, you arrived at the same time, and also...you're holding hands,"  
>Both 2D and Noodle looked down at their connected hands, but didn't take them apart.<p>

Their manager sighed. "You do realise romantic relationships are- oh, never mind. Follow me, you uniforms are in the security room, which is where you'll be working. Follow me."  
>"Is this the room that was featured in the online tutorial?" Noodle asked.<p>

"Oh my, someone actually did that. Yes, it is, miss."

"I see."  
>Once the trio reached the security room, the manager gave a quick tutorial of the room and handed them, each a sheer garment bag.<p>

Noodle's had a black skirt that she guessed would be too tight and an ugly red button down and black tie. 2D's contained the same shirt and tie, but with black trousers.

"This looks awful," she whispered to 2D.

**11:05 PM**

2D banged the water closet door of his hotel room. "Noodle come on out! We need to go!"  
>"I look like a prostitute. There is no way I am leaving this room!" Noodle called back.<p>

"I'm sure you look sexy- er, lovely!"

"Stuart!"

"Sorry, love."

"Suuuure."

"Let's just go, mate! We gotta go across town!"  
>The bathroom door opened and out stepped Noodle, her shirt looking as ugly as it had in the garment bag, but it somehow worked on her slim figure. The skirt was as tight as she had previously guessed, and stopped right above her knees.<p>

"Stop staring and let's get out of here," the former axe princess commanded, walking in front of 2D.  
>"You've got a pretty nice ar-"<br>"Don't finish that sentence," Noodle interrupted.

**11:55 PM**

"R-ready, love?" 2D asked nervously, shivering from the cold air.

While on their train, Noodle had informed the ex-vocalist what terrors might await them at the hellish pizzeria, accounting for his change in disposition.

Instead of responding, Noodle made a grab for his hand and gripped it tightly with the one she wasn't using to grab the keys to the establishment.

"If something happens to me tonight, you will make out alive, I swear." she said, pressing his hand to her lips.

With that, Noodle Hobbs and Stuart Pot unlocked then walked into the pizzeria, and, possibly their deaths.

_(__**A/N: **__I want to point out that this __**is **__a 2Nu story, so if I get any private messages saying to make it a fic with "no ships" or a "2Doc" fic, I WILL IGNORE THEM._

_Thanks __**Krys, Ven, and Feel Okay Incorporated **__for all the help and support!)_


	3. Taken Away to the Dark Side

_**(A/N:**__ I've been a bit depressed lately, and Chapter 4 might take a week or two, but it will eventually be here. This is unbeta'd, so if anything's wrong either grammatically or plot wise, let me know. Otherwise, enjoy Chapter 3!)_

**12:30 AM**

Noodle checked the cameras on the tablet the pair had been given and tried not to let her surprise show on her face, as the animatronic rabbit, Bonnie, wasn't on the stage.

"Are you tired, Stu?" she asked, trying not to panic, thinking that perhaps it would be easier to deal with the murderous animatronic on the loose if 2D was asleep.

"Mm, a bit. I really am getting old."  
>"You're not old, but you are cute," Noodle replied boldly, earning a blush from 2D. "If you're tired, just go to sleep."<p>

"That's not right, love! The bloke is supposed to take care of the girl, 'specially if she's younger!"  
>"There is so much chauvinism in that sentence I don't even know where to start," Noodle commented with a disapproving cluck. "This girl cares about this bloke, so she's going to take care of him, because she doesn't want him to get sleep deprived."<br>"I can't leave you by yourself, 'specially after what you told me about this place."  
>"You aren't leaving me you're resting, which you need. I can handle a few stupid metal animals. Like I said, it was probably just an online hoax."<p>

2D responded by sighing then laying his head down on Noodle's shoulder, for she really was a convincing speaker. She twisted her head a bit so that she could plant a kiss on his forehead.

"You could kiss me on my mouth., you know," he muttered, trying to go to sleep.

"Russel always told me that a guy who tries to kiss me on the first or second date is, in his words, 'just trying to get in my pants'."  
>"Well if our first date was at the coffee shop, and this is our second-"<br>She laughed,"That makes no sense! Our 'first' was was fifteen minutes long and not even planned, and our 'second' is us at work!"  
>"We're alone together," 2D pointed out.<br>"I'll play along, when will our third date be?"  
>"Breakfast? After our shift's over?" 2D asked, sitting up and looking at her earnestly.<p>

Noodle grinned. "I can't wait. Where are you thinking of for breakfast?"

"I saw this Mexican restaurant called Chipotle and-"  
>"NO." the green-eyed woman replied firmly.<br>"Why not?" 2D asked, cocking his head a bit.

"I don't like chain restaurants," she replied.

"It said there were other locations on the menu at Beggar's," the vocalist pointed out.

"You looked really cute when asked for pizza, and I couldn't deny you." Noodle retorted.  
>"So you're saying I'm ugly now?"<p>

The guitarist giggled. "No, I've built up an immunity to your attractiveness."

"That's the kind of fing that I'd kiss you for if you let me."  
>They both giggled in the type of two that were tired and slightly frenzied. 2D laid back down, and after a few moments, Noodle flipped the cameras once she sure that he was asleep and not looking at the iPad. The other two animatronics were on the stage and the curtain in Pirate's Cove was still drawn, but Bonnie was nowhere to be found. Noodle continued to look through the different angles, finding that Bonnie was in the rest-rooms staring into the cameras, with eyes that closely resembled black voids. She bit back a yelp at the frightening sight, but was relieved that the animatronic wasn't roaming anywhere at the moment.<p>

Her relief was cut short when the phone rang loudly, causing 2D to wake up with a scream and her to jump silently.

"Stu, shh, it's fine," she whispered, setting the tablet on the small desk and holding his upper half in her arms, his lower half still in his chair.

"I-I'm just, I'm not going to sleep again," he whimpered.

She sighed. "I don't blame you."

"So, should we answer that fing?" 2D asked once the young woman let go of him.

"Probably not. We weren't briefed on what to do for phone calls."  
>2D nodded as the phone call went to voicemail then wrapped an arm around the young woman's shoulders as best he could across their chairs.<p>

"Hello, hello? Uh, I wanted to record a message for you to help you get settled in on your first night," a voice started on the other end.  
>As the man on the phone went on and on, informing them of how dangerous the pizzeria actually was, both the guitarist and vocalist's eyes widened, their worst fears about their new place of work confirmed.<p>

"Call him back!" 2D screamed once the call ended, far too prematurely in the frightened man's opinion.

"I-it's of no use now it might run down our power. We need to follow through with what he said. It's a good thing we left the door open in the first place. According to the tablet, our power is at 90% which, if we conserve it properly, is more than to last the next five hours and a half," Noodle answered soberly.

"Wh- how are you so calm?"  
>"I've been through worse," she replied with a humourless smile.<p>

"Of course, I'm so sorr-"  
>"No need for it."<br>"Let me see the iPad. I want to know what everyfing looks like."  
>"You don't want to."<br>"Why not?"  
>"You just don't."<br>The vocalist quickly grabbed the tablet before she could put up any protest, and flipped through the camera angles, and frowned in a confused manner. "I don't see what's wrong. Both of the animals are on the stage."  
>"Put it down!" she commanded.<br>"I'm not gonna break it!"  
>"Just whatever you do, don't look in the water closet!"<br>2D shrugged. "I already did. Nofing's there."  
>Noodle's face went pale. "There's supposed to be a chicken, a bear, and a rabbit on the stage," she explained. "When I last checked, the rabbit was in the bathrooms."<br>The vocalist snickered immaturely. "It's s'posed to be a girl, right? Betcha she was waiting for that Freddy bloke to come in wif her and-"  
>"Close your door NOW!" the young woman shrieked.<p>

2D turned around to see the rabbit grinning freakishly in the door frame behind him. He screamed and hit the red button with his fist, his eyes wide.

When he turned back in his chair, Noodle saw that his eyes were completely white and he was trembling with terror, causing any anger she felt to her to melt away,

She rolled her office chair over to his, then stroked he cheek comfortingly with one hand and re-opened the door to conserve power with the other. "I'm so sorry, my love."

The petrified vocalist managed a smile. "'My love'?" he asked.

"Felt appropriate," she commented, giving him a crooked grin. "But we do need some rules so you aren't faced with a situation like that again."

"What did you have in mind?"  
>"First off, you need to listen to me. I'm not your god or your mother, but I have survived through... uh, rough situations, and your survival and safety is my priority tonight, and if you listen to what as I instruct you, you will get out of here, alive and well." she declared grimly.<br>"But what about you, darlin'?" 2D asked his eyes wide.

"Forget me."  
>"I can't."<br>Noodle sighed and laid her head on his shoulder. "If I die saving you, I'll feel as if I've lived a million years."  
>"That's cheesy."<br>"And true. Stay in the back of the room with the tablet, and let me know when the animatronic are close so that I can close the proper door, all right?" she commanded.

"Noodz, you can't put yourself in danger for me,"  
>Noodle met his gaze. "Then do the job I told you to, and we'll both be fine, all right?"<p>

"Sure."

3:**15 AM**

"This is working pretty well, wouldn't you say?" Noodle asked after a few hours of using their new system.

"Yeah, we've only been close to death by creepy machine animal about, hm, eight times," 2D, whose eyes were back to their regular colour, grumbled from the back of the room.

"But we haven't died yet, have we?"

"Yet," the vocalist repeated.

"Are you cross because I'm protecting you?"  
>2D sighed and ran a fingers through his hair. "I'm angry because I'm not close to you."<p>

"Why?" Noodle asked giggling in spite of herself. "Because I'm your medicine when you're close to me?"  
>After a moment of thought, 2D laughed at her joke. "I wish I was over there so I could punch you in the arm."<br>"But ain't the bloke s'posed to protect the bird?" Noodle asked in an awful mockery of 2D's Cockney accent.

"That wasn't fun- CLOSE THE LEFT DOOR, THE CAT IS RIGHT THERE!"  
>Noodle calmly tapped the red button, closing it on Bonnie then swung her chair around to stare at 2D. "Cat? Really?"<br>"Well I'm sorry if I'm too frightened to distinguish its species!"  
>Noodle blinked in surprise at 2D's word choice.<p>

"Animal Planet," he explained. "The remote was lost in my hotel room and it was the only fing on."  
>"It's good that you're building your vocabulary... at 36."<br>"Better late than never," 2D said with a cheerful grin. "Kinda like making out. Which we could do now,"  
>"Or you could do your job and stop flirting with me. Where are the animatronics?"<br>"Uh, Noodz, could you take a look at this? I'm a bit confused."  
>The guitarist rolled her chair to the back of the room, next to 2D. "This better not be a trick to get me to.. <em>Merde<em>,"  
>"What does "mere day" mean? I know it's French, but-"<br>"Shit. It means shit," she muttered, taking the tablet from 2D and rolling back to the front. "Stay back there, out of sight."  
>"Noodle, what's wrong?"<br>She turned around to look at the vocalist, an alien emotion flashing in her emerald eyes- fear. "All four animatronics are out."  
>"Four! I thought there were three!"<br>"No, there are three on-stage and one behind a curtain- Foxy, his name is Foxy." she declared distractedly as she flipped through the camera angles, still turned around in her seat, facing 2D.

"What kind of animal is he?"  
>She blinked in surprise at 2D's ridiculous question then turned back around in her chair. "Our power is at 53%, we can probably survive a the night if we-"<br>Noodle's statement was cut off by a scream at the left door that came from the yellow chicken, aptly named Chica. The green-eyed guitarist slammed the door shut only to hear another scream from the right door, which marked the duo's first encounter with Freddy Fazbear.

After hitting the red button, and opening left door first then the right again, the young woman put her head in her hands.

Seeing this action, 2D ignored her commandment and rolled his chair up to hers and wrapped an arm around her shoulders. "You all right, Noodz?"  
>She pulled her face out of her hands and smoothed her hair out. "Since I've been, uh, back, I've gotten these things called panic attacks, and-"<br>"Say no more, darlin' I've gotten 'em since Plastic Beach. If it happens again, just breathe, and if you need me to, I'll come back up here, and do my best to help you out.

Noodle kissed the man on the cheek. "Thank you, my love."  
>"There you go again." he commented with an affectionate tug of her hair.<br>"It's appropriate."  
>"Why's that?" 2D asked.<p>

"Because you're my love. Now go back to your spot," she ordered after placing her lips on his temple.

"You've kissed me literally everywhere BUT my mouth," 2D grumbled as he rolled his chair back.

Noodle obnoxiously blew him a kiss, which 2D pretend to wipe off of his cheek, while laughing at her childish action.

"Trust me Stu, there'll be plenty of kissing later," she purred in a voice that made 2D wish he could take a cold shower.

"D-do me a favour and never talk like that again, like, ever?" he stuttered. "Unless we're like, alone together."

"We are alone together, Stu."  
>"I mean, like <em>alone<em>, alone."  
>"Alone, alone?" Noodle asked with a smirk.<br>"You know what I mean."

**5:30 AM**

Three panic attacks and twelve animatronic encounters later, 2D and Noodle exhaustedly anticipated the end of their shift.

"Thirty minutes," 2D declared in a tired tone.

"Stu?" Noodle asked in a small, weak voice.  
>2D moved his chair next to hers once again."Are you about to have a-"<br>"It's me," the woman whispered.  
>"What's you?"<br>"It's me," she repeated, a little bit louder.

"Noodle, what's wrong, love?"  
>She began to pull at her hair and shake. "It's me!"<p>

"Oh m-my God," 2D whispered and tried to pull her into his arms.

"IT'S ME!" Noodle wailed loudly breaking free of 2D's grip and falling on the floor, thus breaking her glasses and making 2D scream.

Chica screamed at the right door, causing 2D's eyes to turn white again. He scrambled for the door switch, then went as fast as he could back to the floor to Noodle's shrieking and thrashing body and held her head in his arms to muffle her screams and see to it that she didn't injure her head.  
>As scared as 2D was, he found it in him to sing in the screaming and writhing young woman's ear in an attempt to calm her down. "Falling out of aeroplanes, and hiding out in holes Waiting for the sunset to come, people going home/ Jump back from behind them, and shoot them in the head/ Now everybody's dancing, the dance of the dead, the dance of the dead, the daaa-nce of the dead..."

After 2D finished the fragment of the song, Noodle had stopped thrashing and was just shouting, her eyes closed shut at that point, which scared poor 2D even more.

**5:50 AM**

The vocalist half-walked, half-crawled to the left door and stuck his blue-head out slowly, believing he stopped her screaming. He then looked down the hall to see Foxy running towards him.

2D let out a high-pitched scream, pulled his head back into the room, closed the door, and put his back up against the wall, chest heaving, eyes white, and tears in his eyes.

After he composed himself, he checked his watch then sighed. It was only 5:53. The blue-haired man was so worried about Noodle so much that he could scream.

Which he did, when the power went out two minutes later. He did his best to stumble to the back of the room while carrying his best friend in his arms, hoping that if the two of them hid, they wouldn't be spotted, which was a brilliant plan, if you subtracted the fact that Noodle was screaming bloody murder.

"I'm so sorry, Noodz," he muttered before muffling her screams with his mouth, in what would have been a passionate kiss if both parties were conscious and not terrified.

A scream came at the door but 2D stayed still, his mouth still pressed to Noodle's, as not to let the animatronics now that he was alive. He heard the animatronic, whichever one it was, walk about the room, to see if any alive creature was there, making the vocalist want to scream.

He realised the murderous machine animal was right behind him, and he that he needed to take a breath, but that would alert the animal of his presence.

Suddenly, an alarm rang, the animatronic walked away, and the lights came back on. 2D pulled his lips off of hers and coughed heavily from the lack of air he had experienced.

2D looked back at Noodle's body on on the ground, and realised that she had stopped screaming. He went back over to her and held her head in his arms.

He considered kissing her again, reminded of fairy tales his mother used to read to him where the prince kissed the princess and she came back to life, but he decided not to, because, with his dull mind's reasoning, he figured that even though Noodle was certainly royalty in his eyes, he was nothing but a peasant, and kissing her would have no effect on her comatose state.

He prayed to gods he hadn't believed in until before this moment that this woman that he loved would live so that he could kiss her and dance with her and sing to her. After what seemed like fifteen years of crying over her lifeless body, but was only fifteen minutes in real time, her eyes flickered open, and as he looked at her celery coloured eyes, he decided that green was his favourite colour.

2D grabbed onto her tightly, and she hugged him back, not questioning why.  
>"Stu, where were you?" she asked, her voice hoarse.<p>

"Right here. It was you that left, I guess. Your voice is really sexy when it's all scratchy."  
>The guitarist tilted her head to the side. "What?"<br>"Yeah, it's sort of raspy, really hot."  
>"That's not what I was referring to. I mean, what did you mean when you said that I left." Noodle explained patiently.<br>"Oh! Since 5:45, you've been screaming and kicking. Do you feel okay?"  
>Noodle sighed. "Stu, what was I saying?"<br>"'It's me', I fink. Seriously, love, what happened?"  
>"What time is it?"<br>"6:25, Noodz, are you okay?"  
>"The day manager should be here, I have some questions for her."<p>

Noodle stood up, brushed off her skirt, and put a hand to help 2D stand up. The blue-haired man sighed and took her hand.

"I need answers, darling."  
>"You'll get them at breakfast."<p>

Carefully, Noodle slipped out of the room door, 2D in tow, and looked to see if any animatronics were roaming.

"Nofing's here love. They're all back on the stage. I'll protect you if anything-"

2D was interrupted by footsteps coming from down the wall, to which he responded by screaming and hiding behind Noodle despite the fact that he was far taller than her.

"It's all right, my love. I can here it from here, the gait isn't of an animatronic, but of a woman that stands t about 5'4," she whispered.  
>"She turned my dad on!" 2D sang softly and nervously.<p>

"Not '5/4', five feet four inches." Noodle replied with a giggle.

"I know, it's just a fun song."  
>"STUART! NOODLE! ARE YOU ALIVE?" Cassie, the manager cried obnoxiously from down the corridor.<br>"Yes, we're right here," Noodle answered. "And we have some questions for you as well."  
>"Shit," Cassie responded.<p>

Noodle grabbed the woman by her collar and picked her up. "You will answer every question accurately or else you'll be subjected to a fate worse than those that you leave to the animatronics."  
>The woman whimpered, but 2D watched on, unfazed by his friend's sudden violent out burst. He would have done the same thing if he was as strong and capable as Noodle.<p>

"Stu, could you go outside for a moment?" the young woman asked, her tone changing from the threatening one she used with Cassie to a loving one that she reserved for 2D.

"Of course, love!"

2D dashed out of the room, past the stage without looking at the three machines that looked on lifelessly into the distance, leaving both the manager and the guitarist by themselves.

"You have a lot of explaining to do," Noodle snarled.

**6:35 AM**

Ten minutes later, both the manager and the guitarist sat at a booth,. Noodle horrified with the information she had just learned, Cassie relieved to be alive.

"I have two more questions. One, I blacked out at around 5:45, and Stu said that I was kicking and screaming. Do you know why that is?"  
>The manager sighed. "Yes, I do. Those are the hallucinations that some experience while they work here, as an incentive to stay and work here."<br>"Incentive?" Noodle asked.

"Yes, it means-"  
>Noodle scowled. "I know what incentive means, I just don't understand how blacking out is an incentive."<br>"You'll experience them everyday until you are officially terminated- either fired from the job or killed by th-them. Not having them is your incentive to stay, you see."

The young woman sighed ran her fingers through her blue-black hair. "Final question, why are the uniforms so tight? Stu said that his trousers were far too tight, and my skirt is very uncomfortable."  
>"So you can't run from the animatronics when they grab you," the manager answered immediately.<p>

Noodle stood up, trying not to let her horror "Good job, you've survived, for now," she called back as she opened the front doors and walked into the night

2D leaned against the building, dangling a cigarette in his mouth, searching for his lighter in his pockets. "Oh, hey darling," he remarked when he noticed the guitarist walking towards him.

Once Noodle reached him, instead of replying, she took the cigarette out of his mouth, stood on her toes, and kissed the blue-haired man. She buried her fingers in his soft hair and allowed him to put his tongue in her mouth.

2D considered wrapping his arms around her waist, and did such with one arm, but with the other, he gently caressed her firm arse, and was surprised to find that she allowed him to and didn't pull away or slap his hands away from her rear end.

After a few moments, Noodle broke the kiss, but stayed in position, her hands still buried in his blue hair, their faces still close.

"You're an awful kisser," she murmured with a mischievous grin.  
>"Hey! At least I'm not a vir-"<br>"Don't go there."  
>"Sorry, love."<br>Noodle responded by laughing and nuzzling into his chest, feeling warm both inside and out despite the cold late fall morning air and the mental pains she had just experienced.

"I-I kissed you earlier after you passed out," 2D confessed suddenly, feeling guilty.

The guitarist smirked. "I know, that's when you entered my hallucinations. That's what stopped me from screaming, yes?"

"Yeah, after that you- wait, hallucinations?"  
>"I'll tell you over breakfast... at Chipotle," Noodle replied, adding the last part with a sigh.<p>

"Yes!"  
>They both laughed and broke apart from their embrace, holding each other's hands as the walked away from the hellish pizzeria.<p>

**7:30 PM**

"They don't have anything for vegetarians," Noodle muttered as she looked at the menu board.

"Oh, sorry-"  
>"I don't even care at this point. Screw my moral code." she interrupted, rolling her eyes.<p>

After ordering and receiving their food, the pair sat down at a booth, on the same side.

"What was that about hallucinations?" 2D asked through bites of his food.

Noodle sighed and stabbed her burrito with a plastic fork. "I saw that stupid bear screaming 'it's me' in my face. What was I screaming?"  
>"I fink it was 'it's me'," 2D responded.<p>

"Figures. Also, uh, what made you kiss me earlier?"  
>"The power went out and one of those machines was coming to get us, so I kissed you to muffle your screaming."<br>"I see. Like I said earlier, I felt your lips on mine, and I sort of saw you, and then the hallucinations faded away. Wait, where are my glasses?" she asked, feeling her face.

"Oh, they fell off when you first fell from your chair. I'll get you some new ones."  
>She replied by kissing him again, gently this time, and 2D gladly obliged, but didn't try to French kiss her, as he was sure his breath tasted like garlic steak.<p>

Noodle pulled away suddenly for air, and the vocalist grinned at her. "You're really beautiful."

"You are too," the guitarist whispered.

The pair began to finish their food, they engaged in a rather heated conversation about which animatronic they liked the least,.

"Are you kidding?" Noodle asked. "Foxy is really cute!"  
>"You called me cute earlier! I am not in the same cata- cate-"<br>"Category," Noodle supplied.

"As that coyote fing!" 2D finished, his voice a squeak.  
>Noodle rolled her eyes. "Fox, clearly. So which one do you hate the least?"<p>

"Uh, the panda."  
>"Do you mean Freddy FazBEAR?" the young woman asked, stressing, the final syllable.<p>

"Whatever. I'm never seeing it again, so I don't care."  
>Noodle sighed. "I wish I could say the same."<br>"Hm?" 2D asked, through his final bite of his meal.  
>"Yeah, Cassie said that I have to come back until I either get killed or get fired or else the hallucinations will continue."<br>"Oh, God. So we have to g-go back tomorrow?"  
>"No, you're quitting. It's bad enough that that you had to endure tonight, you are not going tomorrow."<br>Noodle braced herself for an argument, but instead, 2D began to cry and laid his head on her left shoulder. "It's not fair!" he sobbed.  
>"Aw, Stu, I can survive a few nights."<br>"Not that, but y-you always go through bad stuff alone, and I wanna help you, because.." 2D's voice trailed off.

"Ssh, it's all right, she whispered comfortingly.  
>"Please let me come with you. Please? I won't be any trouble, I swear!" he begged.<p>

"No, no, no, it's not that you're trouble, I just don't want to get you _in _trouble, my love."  
>"Early you told me to forget you, and now, I want you to do to the same fing, because I care about you," the vocalist informed her, his tears giving way to defiance.<p>

Noodle scowled at him. "You will do everything I tell you to, regardless if it seems right or wrong to you, do you understand? And no flirting or trying to seduce me. We'll both need to focus, and the last thing we need to do is start making out."  
>2D tilted his head in confusion and sat for a moment. "I don't get it."<br>"You can come with me," she explained.

2D wrapped his arms around her and squealed, causing a forkful of Noodle's food to fall on the table.

"Don't get too excited," she stated gruffly, "we're only going back to a haunted pizzeria where we may meet our deaths."

"Ah, that's where you're wrong, Miss Hobbs," 2D joked in an imitation of a scholarly tone. "We're going back to a haunted pizzeria where we may meet our deaths _together_."


End file.
